“Jesus’s Concern” (1)

Luke 10:25-37, 2/26/2006【Translated by Victor Lin】

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Luke 10:25-37 records a very splendid story, a familiar story to most people. But if we aren’t very clear who the actors are in this story we may misinterpret the meaning of this Bible passage. Therefore, in order to correctly interpret this Bible passage, there are a few things we must first think over carefully: (1) Who are the characters in this story? What do they represent? (2) What was the purpose that Jesus told this story? (3) What did Jesus want to tell the law expert through this story? (4) What did Jesus want to teach the audience (for someone who lives at that time and for someone who lives in present day)?

Who is the law expert?

Why did he look for Jesus (v.25)?

What question did he ask the Jesus (v. 25)?

What did Jesus say to him (v. 26)?

How did he reply to Jesus’s question (v. 27)?

The law expert also asked “Who is my neighbor?” (v. 29)

What story did Jesus tell? How does this story relate to the neighbor (eternal life)?

“A man.” Who was this man?

Where did he depart from and where was he going?

“Falls in the hands of robbers” Who were the robbers?

What were his (the person who was beat up) circumstances (v. 30)?

What did the “priests” do? He saw and how did he respond to what he saw?

What did “Levites” do? He saw. How did he respond to what he saw?

Who was the “samaritan”? He saw. How did he respond to what he saw?

What did the “inn” represent? Who was suppose to be “the innkeeper”?

How did the law expert reply to Jesus’s question (vs.36-37)?

Jesus said to the law expert “Go and do likewise!”

“Do likewise” is according to what way? Do you think the law expert understood Jesus’s meaning? Do you think the audience understood Jesus’s meaning?

Do likewise as “the person who was injured by the robbers”?

Do likewise as “the priest”?

Do likewise as “the Levite”?

Do likewise as “the Samaritan”?

Do likewise as “the innkeeper”?

Do likewise as “the robber”?

Why is it essential to clearly understand these questions: Because today many people who read this Bible passage will say the key point is that Lord Jesus want us to be people who “love our neighbors as ourselves”. Whether in Bible school, in Sunday school classroom, or on the church podium, all say that you must be a “Good Samaritan”, you must love your

neighbors, have compassion on them. Although the meaning may be well intended, who is the neighbor? He is the person who got injured by the robber, also is “the Man” that Jesus mentioned. How about me? I am a good Samaritan. If we consider ourselves as the good Samaritan, this may be completely opposite of Jesus’s main intention. During the last adult Sunday school, Doctor Cheng often said perhaps we read the Bible wrong and misunderstood God’s intention. What he said was not unreasonable.

Today’s sermon topic is “Jesus’s Concern”. It is possible that no one else will select this topic for today’s Bible passage. I originally selected the topic “Moved to Compassion by Seeing”. But the more I read this Bible passage, the more I thought that the “good Samaritan” story was interwoven with “Jesus’s concern”. He hoped that the law expert understood it and he hoped that the church understood it. He also hopes that we all can understand it.

In Lord Jesus’s meaning, the person who was injured by the robber (Satan, sin) is not others but is you. Everyone who hears this story has been injured by the robber (Satan, sin). You are, I am, he is, everyone is. The Bible says “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” (I Peter 5:8)

Who is your neighbor? Your neighbor is the Good Samaritan. In Jesus’s story this is “a pun” and also is the key to interpreting this Bible passage. Usually we think of ourselves as the Good Samaritan because we can move and walk. When we see someone who is burdened and entangled in sin, we have the strength to help him. But Lord Jesus says that you are not the Good Samaritan but you are in need of a Good Samaritan. You have been injured by robbers and Satan, and you are the person who is laying down on the road from carrying the heavy burden of sin. You are the person who is waiting for death. You have not behaved well at all.

Who is your neighbor? He is the Good Samaritan.

Who is Good Samaritan in the story? He is the savior, Lord Jesus.

What is “loving our neighbor as ourselves”? It is not “loving others as ourselves”, but “to love the savior (Lord Jesus) as ourselves”. You if cannot love the Lord as yourself, you fundamentally cannot treat others as yourself.

Is not that if you love others as yourself, you can gain eternal life. But it is if you love the savior, if you love the Samaritan, you have eternal life. The person who can give eternal life is not the law expert, the priest, nor the Levite, but is Jesus Christ.

Next week we will continue to speak on this scripture passage. I would like to invite us to read this Bible passage several time this week and meditate on it. Because the interpretation of this Bible passage has some mistake, it conveyed a different message. This is a reason why we have to carefully study the Bible.